Behavior of Shallow Strip Footing on Twin Voids

This paper numerically examines the bearing capacity and failure mechanism of a shallow strip foundation constructed above twin voids. The voids may refer to caves, caverns, underground aqueduct or tunnels due to water seepage, chemical reaction or deliberately excavated in soil deposit. The ability of numerical model to accurately predict the system behavior is evaluated by performing verification analyses on existing researches. Subsequently, a parametric study carried out to reveal the influence of size of footing/voids and their location (i.e. depth, spacing, eccentricity) on the bearing capacity of footing. To clarify the failure mechanism, the distribution of shear strain in the soil for different scenarios is assessed. The parametric study provided a new framework to determine the bearing capacity and the mode of failure for footings on voids. Based on the results, a criterion can be issued to avoid collapse of footing/voids regarding the shape, location and size of voids. The results can also be used to design construction of a footing on existing voids while the acquired failure mechanisms can be appointed to develop analytical solutions for this problem. Results demonstrated that a critical depth for voids and a critical distance between them exist where the influence on the ultimate bearing capacity of footing disappears.     

Steady critical discharge rates from vertical and horizontal wells in fresh–saline aquifers with sharp interfaces

In this study, the critical (or maximum) discharge rates before saline water enters a well were determined for vertical and horizontal wells in a freshwater aquifer which is separated from a static saline aquifer by a sharp interface. Flow around the well was solved by integration of a point sink solution along the well axis, and both the critical discharge rate and critical interface rise were determined through a comparison of the heads and vertical gradients at the saline–fresh water interface. The rates were determined for vertical and horizontal wells with various lengths and depths for different aquifer salinities. Results were generalized by drawing dimensionless type curves. The results showed that the dimensionless total critical discharge rates are higher for the longer horizontal wells and longer vertical wells with a certain bottom depth, and they almost linearly decrease with well depth at rates of 0.7–0.9. For the dimensionless well length of 0.2, the dimensionless total discharge rate of a horizontal well is about 0.1 more than that of a vertical well with the same length and well-top depth. Also, the critical discharge rates per unit length of well are inversely proportional to well length and remarkably higher for shallower wells. Additionally, the critical pumping rate is proportional to the salinity difference of the aquifers. These results were confirmed by comparison to existing solutions for vertical wells with dimensionless lengths of 0.2, 0.5 and 0.6, and for critical interface rises in the range of 0.75–0.9.     

Improved regional groundwater flow modeling using drainage features: a case study of the central northern karst aquifer system of Puerto Rico (USA)

In northern Puerto Rico (USA), subsurface conduit networks with unknown characteristics, and surface features such as springs, rivers, lagoons and wetlands, drain the coastal karst aquifers. In this study, drain lines connecting sinkholes and springs are used to improve the developed regional model by simulating the drainage effects of conduit networks. Implemented in an equivalent porous media (EPM) approach, the model with drains is able to roughly reproduce the spring discharge hydrographs in response to rainfall. Hydraulic conductivities are found to be scale dependent and significantly increase with higher test radius, indicating scale dependency of the EPM approach. Similar to other karst regions in the world, hydraulic gradients are steeper where the transmissivity is lower approaching the coastline. This study enhances current understanding of the complex flow patterns in karst aquifers and suggests that using a drainage feature improves modeling results where available data on conduit characteristics are minimal.     

Applying disk-based discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) to simulate Donghekou landslide triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake

In this paper, for the first time, disk-based discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) is applied to simulate a real landslide triggered by an earthquake. For this purpose, the kinematic behaviour of the Donghekou landslide triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake is simulated and the results obtained using disk-based DDA are compared with actual data. The comparisons show that there is a good agreement between the results obtained using disk-based DDA and observed data. The simulation results provided an understanding of the failure behaviour and temporal evolution of the landslide. This study shows that disk-based DDA is a practical numerical tool that can be used to simulate the post-failure behaviour of landslides triggered by an earthquake.     

The effect of specimen diameter size on uniaxial compressive strength,P-wave velocity and the correlation between them

Estimation of uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) by P-wave velocity (V_P) is of great interest to geotechnical engineers in various design projects. The specimen diameter size is one of the main factors that influence rock parameters such as UCS and V_P. In this study, the diameter size of specimens that effect UCS and V_P is investigated. Moreover, the correlation between UCS and V_P are examined via empirical analysis. For this purpose, 15 travertine samples were collected and core specimens with a diameters size of 38, 44, 54, 64 and 74 mm were prepared. Then, uniaxial compressive strength and P-wave velocity tests were conducted according to the procedure suggested by ISRM (1981). It is concluded that the diameter size of the specimen has a significant effect on UCS and V_P. Moreover, it was found that the best correlation between relevant parameters obtained for the specimen diameter of 38 mm.